Stanton v. Merchants' Loan & Trust Co.
Stanton v. Merchants' Loan & Trust Co.
Opinion of the Court
This action was brought by plaintiffs to secure the surrender of a promissory note for $5,000 and the cancellation of a mortgage given to secure payment of the same and for the recovery of $7,480 of plaintiffs’ money, which came into the ¡hands of defendant Randall, and which plaintiffs' claim has not been properly accounted for. The case was tried to the court without a jury. Findings of fact and judgment were for defendants, and plaintiffs appeals. ,
The controversy grew out of an exchange of a tract of 3,520 acres' of land1 owned by plaintiffs in ¡Ouster county for land owned by one De Witt, situated in Sanborn and Miner counties. About the 1st of January, 1914, plaintiffs employed the defendant Randall to assist them in making a sale of their said land or an exchange thereof for other laud. The value placed on plaintiffs’ land was $63,360, and1 upon this basis Randall was to. have a
“That the values put upm the plaintiffs’ lands and the De Witt lands in the aforesaid' written -contract were about equal in excess of the actual cash values of the same; that said values ■were not understood or intended by the parties ¡to represent the actual cash value of said lands at the -time of the execution of said1 -contract, and were merely estimates for the .purpose of the trade or exchange; that the plaintiff Frank Stanton, who acted also for and- on behalf of his wife, the plaintiff Anna Stanton, before entering into said contract -personally and independently of the defendant Randall, investigated the De W-itt lands, was at ■liberty to and did make independent inquiries in relation, to the value thereof; that defendant Randall -did- not deceive or attempt to deceive said plaintiff's' by any representation as to the 'value of the same; that said plaintiff relied on his own judgment, as -well as on defendant Randall’s judgment, as to the advantage of the trade; and that the trade in view of all the circumstances was an advantageous transaction for plaintiffs.
“That ¡defendant Randall, in all matters connected with said employment, acted in good faith, with reasonable skill, and without intending to deceive or defraud the plaintiff in any respect whatever; that whatever advice was given ¡by him; to plaintiffs, and whatever ■ statements were made by him; respecting the value of the -lands involved in ¡the trade, were honestly given and made according to his best judgment and honest belief as to the same.”
The judgment and order appealed from1 are affirmed.
Dissenting Opinion
(dissenting). I am unable to concur in the. foregoing .decision. This action was brought iby principles to recover certain .money which they had paid to their agent as part compensation for such agent’s services, and to have canceled a note given to such agent as further compensation for such services. Their claim is that, after the payment had been made and the note given, they learned that their agent had been unfaithful to the trust imposed in him.. This action is ini no sense one to recover damages resulting from: the breach, of such trust, though its rulings upon evidence and! its findings disclose that the trial court permitted the cause to be tried exactly as though it were such an action. It needs no citation of authorities: to sustain the proposition that an agent is entitled to .compensation, for services performed, in the honest discharge of his- .trust, and1 this regardless of whether or not his services have resulted! in profit to his prin
“-Can- -there by any -doubt, in the face of the above evidence, that Stanton wen-t there to personally examine and investigate the De Witt fends, and1 did not rely or intend to rely -on -anybody’s judgment -except his own?”
“Assuming -for sake of argument that, as appellants contend, Randal-l in this 'case practiced fraud on appellants, yet under the above -testimony no -court or -person could' say that the plaintiff relied upon it.”
“Appellants -charge fraud, and seek to recover money -claimed to 'have/been -obtained from, -them -by such fraud. -Su-ch -evidence of the actual value -of appellants’ land is very material in- tending to show that there is actual gain to them1 instead of loss'.”
I am not unmindful -of the fa-ot that -among the findings of the trial court there are certain ones which, if .standing alone, would support such court’s conclusion and judgment. But when a -cause has been tried upon an entirely wrong theory under which a large amount -of immaterial, irrelevant, and incompetent evidence has been improperly received and immaterial facts- treated as o-f controlling importance by the trial court, a new: -trial -should be ■had to the end that due -weight be given to that which is material, and the immaterial rejected.
Case-law data current through December 31, 2025. Source: CourtListener bulk data.